Last for boots and shoes



(No Model.)

P. PACKARD & N. W. ARNOLD. F LAST FOR BOOTS AND SHOES.

No. 270,975. Patented Jan.23, 1883.

VVITNEEEEE INVENTUHE r" Wei? J Ni'rEn STATES I FREDRICK PACKARD, OF BROOKTON, AND NATHANIEL W. ARNOLD, OF

ABINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

LAST FOR BOOTS AND SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 270,975, dated January 23, 1883.

Application filed July 15, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

ARNOLD, of Abington, in the county and State aforesaid, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lasts for Boots and Shoes, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making part of this specification, in whicl1- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a last constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the center of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on the line w of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the metallic standard and heel-plate detached from the last.

Ourinvention relates particularly to the construction of lasts which are adapted to be retained within theboot or shoe while being nailed A in a heeling-machine, and which must necessarily possess great strength and solidity at the heel; andour invention consists in a wooden last provided with a metallic block or standard inserted within a vertical slot in its heel portion, and extending from the lower to the upper surface of the said heel portion and back entirely to the rear end of the last, forming the actual end bearing-surface of the same, the

said metallic block or standard being covered with a metallic plate formed in the same or a separate piece and extending over the bottom of the heel or the entire sole of the last, by which construction the entire upper surface of the wood which forms the heel portion of the last is protected and prevented from being crushed or injured by the strain and pressure to which it is subjected when used in a heelin g-machine, while the extended upper surface of the metallic standard admits of its being provided with two or more holes or sockets for the reception of a corresponding number of supporting-pins in the jack, thereby enabling it to be steadied and prevented from turning around independently of the jack, as is liable to occur where a single supporting-pin only is employed; and our invention also consists in certain details of construction, as hereinafter set forth and specifically claimed.

In the said drawings, A represents a wooden last, having the bottom of its heel covered with a metallic face-plate, B, from which rises a metallic block or standard, 0, which is formed 5 integral therewith, and is fitted into a vertical slot, 11, formed in the heel portion of the last,

lhis metallic standard 0 extends from the of the last A and backward to the extreme rear end thereof, forming its actual end bearing-surface, and, together with its face-plate B, is held in place by means of one or more transverse bolts, (1, passing through suitable apertures in the wooden sides of the last and the standard, and secured by riveting, screwnuts, or in any other convenientmanner.

At the inner end of the block or standard 0 is a cylindrical enlargement, c, whichfits a correspondiugly-shaped portion of the slot 1), and causes the standard to be held in place with additional security against any tendency to longitudinal displacement, besides affording the necessary width at this point for the large socket or aperturef, which is adapted to receive the main supporting-pin of the jack on which the last is placed while the heel of the boot on shoe thereon is being nailed in a heeling-machine.

The standard 0 is provided with a second and smaller socket or aperture, g, a short distance in the rear of the aperture f, for the reception of another supporting-pin on the jack, by whichmeans the last is steadied and prevented from turning around independently of tion and backward to the extreme rear end of the same, great strength and solidity are secured, and the entire wooden portion of the heel is protected from being crushed or in- :iured by the pressure to which it is necessarily subjected in a heeling-machine, thus rendering the last much more durable, while as the metal standard C also forms the actual end bearingsurface ofthelast the wood at this point .is prevented from being defaced and battered out of shape by hammer-blows usually applied by the workman to the end of the heel of the last in case it sticks in the operation of removing it from the boot or shoe, which is an importantadvantage, as it enables the nice curvature of the end of .the last (indicated by the line y y) to be preserved intact, which is an essential requisite in the manufacture of boots and shoes.

We prefer to make the standard 0 and heelcovering plate B of cast-iron in a single piece, as the same fastening device which holds the standard within its slot also serves to secure the plate B to the bottom of the heel; but the standard and heel-plate may, if preferred, he made separate and secured in place by independent fastenings; and, if desired, the entire bottom of the last may be faced or covered with metal, instead of the heel portion only, as shown.

It is obvious that the standard '0 and heelplate B can be easily applied at a trifling cost to an old last by merely recessing or slotting its heel portion and inserting the standard 0 from the bottom of the last, thus rendering our invention applicable to old as well as to new lasts, whereby a material saving may be effected.

A last constructed as above described is cheap and easily manufactured, besides being much lighter and more easily handled than one having its entire heel portion composed of metal, and on account of its strength and solidity can be used to great advantage either in a heeling machine or to hammer on when placed upon the knee for hand work.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a wooden last, of a metallic block or standard, 0, inserted within a vertical slot, 1), in its heel portion, and extending from its lower to its upper surface and backward to the extreme rear end of the last to form the actual end bearing-surface thereof, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a wooden last having a metallic covering-plate extending over the'bottom of the heel, of a metallic block or standard, 0, inserted within a vertical slot, b, in its heel portion, and extending from its lower to its upper surface and backward to the extreme rear end of the last to form the actual end bearing-surface thereof, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with awooden last having a metallic covering-plate extending over the bottom of the heel, of a metallic block or standard, 0, inserted within a vertical slot, 1), in its heel portion, and extending from its lower to its upper surface and backward to the extreme rear end of the last, and provided with two or more holes or sockets, f g, for the reception of a corresponding number of supporting-pins on the jack, whereby the last is prevented from turning independently of the latter, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a wooden last, A, and the metallic block or standard G, inserted within a vertical slot in its heel portion, and extending from its lower to its upper surface and backward to the extreme rear end of the last, of suitable fastening devices for securing the standard within the slot 11 of the last, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a wooden last having a metallic covering-plate extending over the bottom of the heel, of a metallic block or standard, 0, inserted within a vertical slot, 1) in its heel portion, and extending from its lower to its upper surface and backward to the extreme rear end of the last to form the actual end bearing-surface thereof, and provided with a vertical enlargement, e, at its inner end, adapted to fit a correspondingly-enlarged portion of the slot-b, whereby it is held more securely in place in the heel portion of the last and additional space afforded for the aperture f, substantially as set forth.

6. As a new article of manufacture, the combined standard 0 and heel-plate B, adapted to he applied to the heel portion of a last, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

l/Vitness our hands this 12th day of July, ic 

